[JWahl]

All the more reason to import from the UK and not be taken advantage of by this nonsense.

Unfortunately, I emailed that vendor you posted, and they replied that they can't ship Chord products to the U.S. due to distributor agreements. Quoted from the email:

"We do not usually ship Chord Electronics items outside the UK, due to the distribution agreements. Ideally, you should purchase this from your local Chord Electronics dealer in the USA. I appreciate you have concerns around this but unless we receive authorisation from Chord Electronics we are unable to ship the item. "

So for now, barring shady grey market channels, we are beholden to Bluebird Music's price gouging. Really disappointing.

 

[onsionsi]

A 2A supply is shipped with qutest, but it will work fine with a 1A 5V supply.

To set the OP voltage you press the two buttons together when it's starting up - display in rainbow mode - then qutest will remain in that level. Pressing the buttons together will change the brightness of the display when in normal or working mode.

Does the Hugo2 benefits from clean power supply like Lps-1 in a desktop mode?

 

[Rob Watts]

Does the Hugo2 benefits from clean power supply like Lps-1 in a desktop mode?

The last time I talked about linear PSU's I got into trouble (2 Qute) as I compared the supplied PSU to a car battery and could hear no difference. But some claimed they could hear a difference - unfortunately I can only post about what I hear. That said, although through my listening and measurements I am convinced that 2 Qute was completely insensitive - but of course the supplied PSU could possibly interfere with your actual power amp (some amps are hideously sensitive), so this is a clear case of YMWV.

So my advice is simple - listen to it without the charger. Listen with the supplied charger. If you can hear no difference at all, then forget about upgrading your PSU as it won't make any improvement (and could actually sound worse if it creates more noise).

I could hear no change with Mr Speakers Aeon closed with charger connected or not connected...

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm trying to decide between purchasing the Hugo 2 or the Qutest. I currently drive Sennheiser HD800 headphones through a Lehmann Black Cube Linear (headphone amp) and want to know if the Hugo 2 would provide better headphone output than this - or, if I need to stick with the existing headphone amp, I would presumably be better off buying the Qutest. Anyone else like to chip in on this one?

All I know is that I heard next to no difference between the Mojo and $4,300 Simaudio MOON Neo 430HAD when driving the HD 800. I know I say this all the time, but it's a significant fact for me because it means that even the Mojo can drive the HD 800 very well. I can't comment on your amp, having never heard it.

Since you're in the UK and there are dealers everywhere, you could visit some and audition things to make a more informed decision.

We have import duty and vat if we import from USA to UK. I always allow at least 25% to the price paid to account for that. The final sting in the tail is when the courier makes a charge for collecting the tax. Good luck though if it doesn't work like that when going the other way across the pond.

25% (or higher) is outrageous. If I imported a lot of stuff and lived in a country that did that to me, I'd just move to another country. No offense, of course. And in the case of Chord, you don't need to import anything. (Lucky...) Anyway, the US has very low import tax and sometimes doesn't charge it at all, so it's not an issue for me.

Unfortunately, I emailed that vendor you posted, and they replied that they can't ship Chord products to the U.S. due to distributor agreements. Quoted from the email:

"We do not usually ship Chord Electronics items outside the UK, due to the distribution agreements. Ideally, you should purchase this from your local Chord Electronics dealer in the USA. I appreciate you have concerns around this but unless we receive authorisation from Chord Electronics we are unable to ship the item. "

So for now, barring shady grey market channels, we are beholden to Bluebird Music's price gouging. Really disappointing.

That...really sucks. To verify, was it this dealer? Because it says "World Wide Express Shipping" on that page.

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/chord-electronics-qutest-standalone-digital-audio-converter

Some Chord dealers in the UK did ship some of their products to the US in the past, but this may have changed. If they no longer do and this is due to distribution agreements, that means Chord themselves basically agreed to force Americans to pay significantly higher prices. I don't want to jump to that conclusion just yet.

.

Does the Qutest include plug attachments (like the 2Qute does) so it can be used in any country?

 

[Rob Watts]

The original question was about Hugo 2... But for Qutest, then use a USB battery pack, and compare to the included PSU. A USB battery pack will outperform a linear PSU as it eliminates RF noise from the mains.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The original question was about Hugo 2... But for Qutest, then use a USB battery pack, and compare to the included PSU. A USB battery pack will outperform a linear PSU as it eliminates RF noise from the mains.

Yes, I was multitasking (not paying close enough attention) and edited my post afterwards. What about this question?:

Does the Qutest include plug attachments (like the 2Qute does) so it can be used in any country?

 

[plsvn]

Does the Qutest include plug attachments (like the 2Qute does) so it can be used in any country?

according to Product Specifications pdf (Qutest product page) it does

 

[Music Alchemist]

For those in the US: Once it arrives, you should be able to borrow the Qutest (and other Chord DACs) from The Cable Company for a small fee that is put toward any future purchases from them.

https://www.thecableco.com/lending-library
https://www.thecableco.com/chord_electronics.html

according to Product Specifications pdf (Qutest product page) it does

Thanks. This is another example of me not paying close enough attention, because I skimmed that before.

 

[dcp10]

All I know is that I heard next to no difference between the Mojo and $4,300 Simaudio MOON Neo 430HAD when driving the HD 800. I know I say this all the time, but it's a significant fact for me because it means that even the Mojo can drive the HD 800 very well. I can't comment on your amp, having never heard it.

Many thanks for the feedback! I guess I should probably think about Hugo 2 instead of Qutest then...

 

[Music Alchemist]

Many thanks for the feedback! I guess I should probably think about Hugo 2 instead of Qutest then...

The thing is, all this is so subjective (and dependent on so many factors) that you would probably want to bring your amp to shops and compare direct from the Hugo 2 to the Qutest with your amp (as well as both DACs with that amp), just to be sure what you prefer. There are plenty of others who strongly prefer an external amp with the HD 800 and various other headphones.

 

[JWahl]

That...really sucks. To verify, was it this dealer? Because it says "World Wide Express Shipping" on that page.

Yes, Future shop. Whether other dealers will, I don't know. They may risk losing rights to sell if they do. I'm less familiar with how all that works. Or it could be a simple gentlemen's agreement.

Ultimately Chord can make the business decisions they feel are appropriate. I do feel like the distributors pricing structure will hurt sales for dealers and Chord, but as I've said before, Chord may also want to remain a small specialty company and not have to physically expand and grow to meet the demand of greater sales, even if it generates more revenue. I have no crystal ball to know their long term business plan.

I do know that at $1,800 the Qutest will be more difficult for me to justify with my means. $1600 is already pushing it, but acceptable. Others may be willing to spend more, others much less. That's just the uncertainty of economics.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Yes, Future shop.

They should change the info on their website to something like "World Wide Express Shipping To Anywhere Except America", then.

I wonder which other places in the world have the restrictions Americans are facing now.

I also wonder why the American distributor gets to raise the prices so much. Wouldn't be surprised if it's just because they can.

It's still possible to physically go to the UK and pick it up, but the price difference isn't large enough to justify that, and you may end up losing money that way, and may have to pay import tax as well when returning to the US.

Even for higher-end items that they never shipped to the US, some dealers in the past still let US customers order online (without VAT) and then pick it up. I don't know how things work when American citizens buy things at the shop. (Like whether they wouldn't charge VAT if you showed you were an American citizen.)

 

[Triode User]

That...really sucks. To verify, was it this dealer? Because it says "World Wide Express Shipping" on that page.

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/chord-electronics-qutest-standalone-digital-audio-converter

Some Chord dealers in the UK did ship some of their products to the US in the past, but this may have changed. If they no longer do and this is due to distribution agreements, that means Chord themselves basically agreed to force Americans to pay significantly higher prices. I don't want to jump to that conclusion just yet.

This sort of thing is very usual for many Hi Fi products and is not something that Chord should be particularly singled out for. If you browse though other UK dealers for other products you will find other similar shipping restrictions.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The irony here is that after the price increase, the Hugo 2 will be roughly a thousand dollars more expensive than the Qutest in the US.

If you browse though other UK dealers for other products you will find other similar shipping restrictions.

You mean shipping to anywhere in the world except for America?

 

[Triode User]

The irony here is that after the price increase, the Hugo 2 will be roughly a thousand dollars more expensive than the Qutest in the US.

You mean shipping to anywhere in the world except for America?

I think you are being slightly paranoid. The usual restriction is this . . . .